Decline Barbell Bench Press
What Decline Barbell Bench Press really gives you is chest thickness through a full range, driven by heavy bilateral barbell loading.
How to do Decline Barbell Bench Press
- Secure your legs at the end of the decline bench and slowly lay down on the bench.
- Using a medium width grip (a grip that creates a 90-degree angle in the middle of the movement between the forearms and the upper arms), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked. The arms should be perpendicular to the floor. This will be your starting position. Tip: In order to protect your rotator cuff, it is best if you have a spotter help you lift the barbell off the rack.
- As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on your lower chest.
- After a second pause, bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out and push the bar using your chest muscles. Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in the contracted position, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. Tip: It should take at least twice as long to go down than to come up).
- Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
- When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.
Decline Barbell Bench Press Sets and Reps by Goal
Strength
4 sets of 4-6 reps with 3 minutes of rest. Take the smallest plate jump available once the reps are clean.
Hypertrophy
4 sets of 8-12 reps with 75-90 seconds of rest. Keep a rep or two in reserve on the heaviest sets.
Endurance
3 sets of 15-20 reps with 45 seconds of rest. Reset the bar between reps rather than bouncing.
Common Decline Barbell Bench Press Mistakes
Bouncing the bar to get through the hardest inch
Pause briefly so the muscle, not the rebound, does the work.
Flaring the elbows straight out to the sides
Keep the upper arms nearer 45 degrees from the torso.
Easier and Harder Than Decline Barbell Bench Press
Swap Decline Barbell Bench Press For
Decline Barbell Bench Press — Frequently Asked Questions
How do you do the Decline Barbell Bench Press?
Secure your legs at the end of the decline bench and slowly lay down on the bench. Using a medium width grip (a grip that creates a 90-degree angle in the middle of the movement between the forearms and the upper arms), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked. The arms should be perpendicular to the floor. This will be your starting position. Tip: In order to protect your rotator cuff, it is best if you have a spotter help you lift the barbell off the rack. As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on your lower chest. Use a barbell and keep the movement controlled through the full range. The animated GIF above shows the complete rep at normal speed.
What muscles does the Decline Barbell Bench Press work?
The Decline Barbell Bench Press primarily targets the pectorals. It is classified as a chest exercise and is performed with a barbell.
How many sets and reps of the Decline Barbell Bench Press should I do?
For muscle growth: 4 sets of 8-12 reps with 75-90 seconds of rest. Keep a rep or two in reserve on the heaviest sets. Adjust the load rather than the rep target if form breaks down before the final rep.
Is the Decline Barbell Bench Press good for beginners?
It is an intermediate movement. You will get more out of it once you can already perform the basic chest patterns with controlled form. Beginners can still use it with light load and close attention to technique.
What can I do instead of the Decline Barbell Bench Press?
Try the Suspended Push-up, Dumbbell One Arm Decline Chest Press or the Cable Standing Up Straight Crossovers. Each trains the pectorals with a similar movement pattern, so you can swap based on the equipment you have available.
